2003 Jeeb Liberty Parking Brake problem after replacement

over45 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:54 am

Hi -

New here and hope this is the right place to post this.

We have a 2003 Jeep Liberty automatic with the 3.7L, and had our rear brake rotors, pads and parking brake shoes replaced recently by a reputable mobile mechanic. What actually happened is that when we had the rear pads and rotors replaced, the parking brake shoes crumbled out of age and wear -- and we had to order new shoes and have the mechanic return to put them on.

He came and put them on, but they are not holding. You have to pull the parking brake lever ALL the way up as far as it will go to get any kind of noticeable holding, and even then it is no where near like it was before where you would get a great hold with the lever up about half way. He took made multiple attempts to adjust the adjuster. I drove the car about 2 miles and when I stopped noticed a light burning smell, and then when I drove back home the smell was a bit fainter, but the brake rotors were extremely hot and I hadn't used the brakes much. The car hadn't been driven since he had put the pads and rotors on - we were waiting for the brake shoes to come in. When he was trying to figure out and adjust the parking brake, he took the rotors and calipers off multiple times.

My questions are: why would the parking brake not be working like it was even though new parts were installed? Did the mechanic make an error or is there something unusual about this jeep that he may not know about? Are the hot brake rotors common with newly installed rotors and pads (ceramic)? Any info is appreciated. Tks

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Thu Oct 21, 2021 11:57 am

Welcome to the forum!
Please tell us about your Jeep.
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This information helps others when responding to your questions.
:SOMBRERO:

As to your question:
The rotors do get quite warm, but they should never get hot enough to smoke brake pads or shoes or to produce a burning smell!
The parking brake shoes are totally mechanical and operated by two cables from the lever in the cab.
The parking brake shoes have star mechanical adjusters just like all other brake shoes used on non disc brake vehicles.
Item no. 8 in illustration below.
Sounds like your mechanic may not have adjusted the parking brake shoes properly after installing them???

over45 · **Posted:** Sat Oct 23, 2021 11:01 am

Thank you for the reply. When he was installing the parking brake shoes, the PB was not engaging at all on the first attempt, so he took off the wheels, rotors and calipers and rechecked the install and adjusted the mechanical adjuster somewhat. He put everything back together and tried it again and it didn't do much. He did this 2 more times and said that he had extended the adjuster at least half way and still it was not catching enough to hold it well. You have to pull the handle up as far as it will go to get any kind of semi hold, and it would not be enough to hold it on a good incline. I would say the PB is working at 40% when completely pulled up.

I just drove to the store (2 miles one way - hardly any braking), and when I stopped could smell a burning smell again. Drove back and had to use the brakes a bit more, and the drivers side rear wheel was smoking. Very frustrating given we paid a total of $230 in labor to replace the rotors, pads and parking brake shoes.

I am going to contact the mechanic to let them know what is happening, but what is the most likely suspect? Incorrect installation and adjustments? Is there something that is unique to Jeeps? We used name brand parts that were exact fit.

Any further info is appreciated. Tks.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sat Oct 23, 2021 3:33 pm

over45 wrote:

the most likely suspect? Incorrect installation and adjustments.

There is nothing unique about the brake parts or setup on this vehicle, many vehicles have this similar form of rear disc brakes with older style brake shoes inside the rotors.

With the smoking you are seeing, something is definitely dragging to cause the friction and overheating. Could be the emergency brake shoes or the caliper not fully releasing when the brake pedal is released. It is easy enough to diagnose, place the vehicle on a lift, transmission in neutral, with the emergency brake handle fully released (down) and rotate the wheel by hand and see if it is dragging (hard to turn). If it is, remove wheel and slide disc brake caliper off rotor and see if rotor is still hard to turn, if it is, the emergency brake shoes are dragging and adjusted too tight. If removing the caliper releases the dragging, then the caliper is faulty.

One other possibility is the rear rubber brake hose has collapsed internally and not letting the calipers release the pressure when you let off the brake pedal. But this would affect BOTH calipers, not just one of them unless you have a single faulty caliper which is not releasing which I have seen before in my many years of mechanicing.
This is a simple brake system and should not be too difficult to get it right, especially with all the new parts. :wink:

I suspect with the parking brake problem, the issue is the brake shoes, not the caliper.... :2cents:

2003 Jeeb Liberty Parking Brake problem after replacement

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